By Me. Cláudio Fernandes
Since the end of the 19th century, especially after the mobilizations undertaken by Pierre de Frédy , the Baron from Coubertin , for the sake of world-class sports games, the Olympics have become quite popular and appreciated all over the world. However, the origin of the Olympic Games goes back to the ancient city-states of Greece, specifically to one of them:Olympia .
The origin of sports games in the city of Olympia is historically traced back to 776 BC. It is said that a citizen of Olympia, Corobeu , won the first contest of what would today be called athletics, running a distance of about 190 meters, played against six other men. Corobeu's run became notorious because the athlete undressed, as he thought that, being naked, he could perform better. For about forty years, sports games were restricted to the city of Olympia. However, over time, other city-states, such as Athens, Sparta and Corinth, began to participate in the events.
The main reason why Olympia was the host city for these games has its roots in mythology. The hero Hercules , son of the god Zeus, had to perform forced labor (of the twelve to which he was condemned):cleaning the stables of Audas , king of Elis. At the end of this mission, Hercules would have inaugurated the games in Olympia to celebrate his feat. We know, however, that the sculptor Phidias , fueled by this legend of the “twelve labors”, built a temple dedicated to Zeus (father of the hero in question) in Olympia, in the year 440 BC. The city games then began to be played in Olympia, especially in homage to Zeus. Sports practices were understood not as mere leisure or preparation for war, but as religious celebrations dedicated to the temple of Zeus.
Among the sports played in the Olympics were boxing , a practice very close to modern boxing, but with very different rules and much more bloody; the pentathlon, which included running, wrestling, discus throwing (see image at top of text), jumping and javelin throwing; the chariot races , disputed at the hippodrome; and, finally, the bloody pankration , which mixed boxing with wrestling (now known as Greco-Roman). Most of the times, the fights of the pancrazio resulted in the death of one of the opponents, such was the violence used in the blows.
The success that the rescue of the Olympic games had from the 19th century and, above all, in the 20th century was due, in large part, to the classical association with the games of the old Greece. The Olympic flame, which is passed from headquarters to headquarters, portrays this establishment of historical bond.